Why I Haven’t Been On the Computer Much

I’ll make my writing post either this weekend or next week.  I am running behind schedule, and I haven’t had much time online.  I’ve been spending this week and will spend most of next week with my friend, Janet Syas Nitsick, editing her book, Courtships and Carriages.

Cover done by Stephannie Beman and will be published by Parchment & Plume, LLC

Janet and I live in the same town and have been friends since 2008.  I met her through the librarian in our small town.  I went there with one of my books to donate it, and the librarian told me there was another writer in town.  She gave me Janet’s number, and after a lot of debate (because I’m shy and have a hard time meeting new people), I called her up.  From there, we went to writing groups together and became friends.

Back to topic…

This book is due out next month.  I’ll post it here in case anyone is interested.  It’s a sweet Christian romance, which means there is mention of God (but not in a preachy way) and there’s no sex.  I know some of you read my books and inspirational romances, so I figure this might be something you’ll want to read when it’s out.  I’ll give the description when the book is out.

In the meantime…

Coming Before 2015

This book is still due out September 28.

But I am worried something will go wrong.  I have submitted the book, but since I don’t have much experience with pre-orders, my big fear is that on the day the book is released, the file won’t be there at Barnes & Noble or Kobo.  I know it’s at Apple iBooks because the sample is there.  But I’m not seeing a sample at B&N or Kobo, and that is concerning.

There’s a lot of apprehension when I am doing something new.  But if for some reason there is a hiccup and someone who pre-ordered this is unable to get it, please let me know.  (I’ll post a reminder of this when this is released.)

This book is still due out October 12.  

Yes, I have the same worries for this one.  If things go smoothly for A Royal Engagement, then I probably won’t worry as much, but I have to admit the worry will be there to a small extent.

Yes, I admit it.  I am a worrier by nature.  It drives my kids nuts.

This is still in editing.

I have gone back and am currently adding two scenes, thanks to input from a beta reader.  😉    This is one of my favorite books.  It’s hard to put my finger on why a book ends up being one of my favorites, but I think it has something to do with how much I cried while writing it.  (And I can only say that because I gave everyone a happy ending.  Otherwise, the book would be depressing, and I don’t like depressing books.)

I really enjoy writing the comedy, Regencies and contemporaries, but I think my heart will always be a little bit closer to tender historical westerns.  My top 5 favorites at this point in time are Loving Eliza, His Convenient Wife, Bid for a Bride, Bride of Second Chances, and Eye of the Beholder.  (That is in order.)

What Am I Working On Now?

I took two weeks off from writing because I was exhausted.  I feel like I have my creativity back, and I am easing back into writing.  Usually, I aim for 2500 words a day or more, but at the moment, I’m working on about 200-400 words a day for three stories.

This is due out January 3, so it has priority.  Most of my attention will be on this one.

Anthology I’m working on that will be published by Parchment & Plume, LLC

My novella in this anthology has been nagging at me for the past month.  I’m going to have a hero who stutters and is incredibly shy around other people, especially women.  He’s also clumsy when he’s nervous.  At the moment, I’m imagining him hiding from his wife on his wedding night, and she has to search for him.  The heroine is Maybell who was Ada and Pete’s friend in “The Purchased Bride”, my novella from the anthology Bride by Arrangement.  I haven’t given my novella to this anthology a title yet.

I’ll have Stephannie Beman work on the cover to fit it in a series if a series does evolve from this book.

I’m going to make another attempt at this one.  I think I figured out what was wrong with the original draft.

First, I need to start this on the wagon trail instead of in New York.  Second, I’m not going to focus on the Larson family.  Richard Larson is the hero, and he is the oldest Larson boy in the first generation of Larsons who were in Nebraska.

But… I think his family is going to be more of a background instead of a focal point.  I sense there are other characters who will emerge from this book who could launch a 3-4 book series, and I’m going to write it from that angle and see what happens.

I hope this time it’ll work.  I know a lot of you have been wanting to read his book, and I’d like to write it.  I just want to make sure I get it done right. 🙂